He loved us! Jesus loved us! We could not have believed it had it not been written in the Word of God. For why should He have loved us? There was nothing good in us, nothing worthy of His love. We hated Him yet He loved us! The Bible says so. It is true; therefore, astonishing yet true. Sinners as we were, sinners as we are yet Jesus loved us. And if now, through grace, we love Him it is "because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19)
He loved us so much, that He forgave and washed us from all our sins. It was the one thing without which we could never have known happiness nay, without it we must have been lost forever. He might have done a thousand other things for us, but if He had left this thing undone, all the rest would have been in vain. But He did not leave it undone. Because He loved us, He "washed us from our sins in His own blood."
Yes, in His own blood! There was nothing else that could wash away so deep a stain nothing else that could pay our debt and save our souls. Silver and gold could not redeem us (1 Peter 1:18); the blood of goats and calves could not atone for our sins. (Hebrews 9:12)
It must be His own blood the precious blood of Christ.
It was a fathomless and painful sacrifice, so painful that He cried to His Father, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me." But He added, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." (Matthew 16:39) He would not draw back. He would not even withhold His life. "Greater love has no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) "You see at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us!" (Romans 5:6-8)
This love He showed toward us. He laid down His life for us. He loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood!
Blessed Savior! How can we love You enough for Your great love to us? You gave Your blood for us what can we give to You? You endured for us the agony in the garden, the shame, the mocking, the cross what would You have us to bear for You? You withheld nothing from us oh, help us to withhold nothing from You! May we give You our whole hearts and love You above all, and bear with patience all that You call us to suffer.
When He had redeemed us by His blood, then He raised us to wonderful happiness and glory. He "has made us kings and priests unto God and His Father!" This is mentioned again in the song of the elders, in the fifth chapter, "You were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth!"
[Francis Bourdillon]
Revelation 1:5-6 ... And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. ❤
